Accidents involving buses are not uncommon. Normally the more serious of such accidents involve school buses with children on board as passengers.
Although buses (especially school buses) typically have a rear exit door, sometimes it is difficult to open the door to allow people to escape from the bus after an accident. This can be a particularly difficult and serious problem when the bus has been tipped over on its side and it is necessary to lift the weight of the rear door in order to open it. Oftentimes the children do not have sufficient strength to lift the door to enable children to escape, or the time required to open the door is greater than desired, particularly when there is a fire.
There has not heretofore been provided an escape door system for a bus which is easy to open and which can be opened quickly even if the bus has been tipped on its side.